Alex had waited until they got to the hotel room, then she went mutely to the bathroom and slammed the door. Sam frowned.
"You don't think she's gonna cry, do you?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Well... why?"
"Because... she's acting funny?"
"Dude, that doesn't equal tears--- Alex? You all right?" Dean asked, banging on the door.
"Go away!" responded the tearful voice. "I'll be fine; I'll be out in a minute!"
Sam sighed, leaning his throbbing head against the door frame. "Alex... it's okay you're upset..."
"No, it's not; it's selfish!"
"You feel how you feel." Sam tried to assure. "And, you feeling hurt because Dad didn't tell us about Adam, or him about us? Yeah, that's normal. It's human..."
The door swung open roughly, and Sam's heart felt a catch when he saw his baby sister's tear stained face.
"I don't get it... why would he hide that? Didn't he love us?"
Sam wasn't quite sure how to answer, but, fortunately Dean was there, and grabbed her by the arms, sitting her down in a chair. He knelt in front of her.
"Babe, listen to me, okay? He... he loved us, he just did the best he could." Dean swallowed, licking his lips slightly, trying to figure how to word his next sentence. "This kid... he didn't know about him from the start. By the time he did, the guy was half grown already. Already had a normal childhood, and a mom that could keep giving him that... he didn't want to take that away from him, because that wouldn't have been fair." Dean sighed, brushing her hair back from her face. "He was trying to protect him, in a way that he didn't have the option with us. With us... he did what he thought was best, too. It could've gone a whole other way... I mean, he'd get a little stumble-bum once in a while, but, it's not like he smacked us around or anything. He was a drill Sergeant and a control freak, but, I think he loved us."
"Dean, he went to hell for you." Sam blurted. "Think any insecurity issues you might've had on that might've been gone after that."
"Yeah, well, maybe it should have, but it really just opens a whole 'nother can of worms... And, he loved you too, dumbass."
Sam snorted.
"He did--- he bragged to everybody who'd listen about what a genius little Sammy was. Full ride to Stanford..."
"Then, why did he---"
"Because he's John Winchester, that's why." Dean interrupted. "And, you, little missy," Dean said, looking down at Alex, "you were just his princess from the day you were born."
"Really?"
"Yeah... he sat us down and had a two hour lecture on how we're s'posed to take care of you the day he brought you home." Sam said, sitting on a tabletop next to her chair. "And, you got by with stuff when you were little... we never wouldda dreamed of."
"Really?" Alex asked, tilting her head slightly at them. "Like what?"
But, her question was never answered, as there was a knock at the door...
It struck Dean as odd how willing Adam was to believe everything about the hunting business, but, as he logically stated, "Why would y'all lie to me about something as crazy as that?"
It was hard to argue with that logic, especially when they weren't lying. Sam thought maybe now that he knew, he'd be safer with a little training, even if Dean was against it. They opted to crash at Adam's mother's house for the time being, so Adam could at least pack away some of her things. Meanwhile, Dean admitted that the least they could do was find the thing that had killed Adam's mother to start with.
"Anything I can help you with?" Alex asked softly.
"Yeah, sure." Adam said with a smile. "Could you maybe get those boxes down from that top shelf?"
Alex shrugged. She found it odd, considering the dude was taller than her, but, hey, maybe he was afraid of mice or spiders or something, she reasoned to herself, and climbed up on the step stool. She felt him close behind her as she did, his hands on her bare calves.
"You look a little wobbly up there." he said.
For some reason, it didn't make her feel safer. It made her increasingly uncomfortable. But, what could she really say to Sam and Dean about that? They'd think she was either sick or insane... She gingerly handed down the boxes, one at a time, until she heard a loud clearing of a throat.
"Oh, hey, Sam!" Adam called out. "Alex was helpin' me get stuff down."
She felt rather than saw Sam move Adam over, and then was grabbed at the waist and set down on the ground.
"Ah, those are the wrong shoes for that job." Sam said a bit lamely. "You'll break your neck. Besides, Dean needs you to go grab some takeout."
Alex looked at Sam quizzically. "But... I don't have my license..."
"I saw a place not three blocks away." Sam countered, handing her a small wad of bills.
"Yeah, okay." Alex said, pocketing the money.
"Make sure you get some kind of desert for Dean, okay?"
"Right, okay, I'll be back soon." Alex said, walking out of the room and out the door.
Adam looked at Sam. "You sure she's all right by herself?"
"She's fine--- you, on the other hand, need training. Now, come on; you won't learn anything sitting on your ass." he said, almost channeling John's Drill Sergeant voice. "Let's move it; start running."
"Excuse me?"
"Dude, if a zombie's chasing you, and you run like a girl, you're food. Hup-two!"
And, Adam started running laps around the house as Dean walked in.
"Dude, what the hell was that?"
